The GOP is holding a class complete with breakfast, lunch and door prizes on July 13 at the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine in Augusta.

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) _ The Maine Republican Party is raising money in an unconventional way - by holding a firearms training class for people who want to get concealed weapons permits.

The GOP is holding a class complete with breakfast, lunch and door prizes on July 13 at the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine in Augusta. The party's charging $150, or $185 including a reception at the end of the day.

The class is being held a month after the Legislature voted down a Republican-backed bill seeking to repeal a requirement that people have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Maine law allows people to carry a gun without a permit as long as the gun remains visible. But residents have to apply for a concealed-weapon permit to carry a weapon hidden from view.